RANK | PLAYER | RUNDOWN | LAST |
1 | LaMARCUS ALDRIDGE, F, PORTLAND: Watched the first half of Thunder-Blazers on New Year’s Eve, saw KD drop 18 in the first quarter, then left the house for some revelry convinced that Trey-5 would be occupying this spot today. Awoke to a new year, played the tape of the second half, and watched LMA pull down the biggest offensive rebound of the game after Mo Williams choked at the line. It feels strange to elevate him after a two-loss week, but he provided me with my first 2014 highlight. For that, I reward him. | 3 | |
2 | LeBRON JAMES, F, MIAMI: Hey, birthday boy. I am getting a little sick and tired of seeing you slip further and further away from 60 percent. In last week’s rankings, I noted that you were at .599. Then I watched you sit in a suit in Portland, allowing us all to remember that Chris Bosh is still a big-game player, and as pen hits paper this morning I notice that you have dropped all the way down to .590. Shame on you. We voters expect better. Yes, that is unfair. Life ain’t fair, ‘Bron. Am I’m jealous that you are spending the next 8 days in sunny Florida. | 1 | |
3 | KEVIN DURANT, F, OKLAHOMA CITY: One point in the fourth quarter against the Blazers, KD? One point? And a missed 10-footer that would have tied it? With nobody guarding you? This is how you start my 2014? I expect you to redeem yourself, because I’m a big believer in your talent, and I am the guy who got Mike Krzyzewski to stop benching you midway through the first quarters of those pool play games in 2010 when we were spending August together in Istanbul. But for now, you blew your chance to be atop these rankings. | 4 | |
4 | PAUL GEORGE, G-F, INDIANA: His December was not as impressive as his November, but it wasn’t all that shabby either. I’m still at a loss to figure out why Rod Thorn can admit a mistake on the non-call against Kevin Love two nights ago, but he still hasn’t said a thing about that shove in the back ‘that ‘Bron gave you at the end of the Pacers-Heat game in Miami. A word of advice, Paul: As you and your teammates bulldoze your way through an easy January schedule, try to drop 30 once or twice, OK? It has not gone unnoticed that your last 30-point game was back on Dec. 8. | 5 | |
5 | CHRIS PAUL, G, LA CLIPPERS: This guy gets a ton of “What Have You Done For Me Lately” treatment in these rankings from week to week. Seven days ago, it was all about the five-game winning streak. Today, it’s about losing three of the last four and scoring only 11 points in that horrifying 19-point loss to the Suns. You going to keep giving Bill Simmons reasons to rag on you, CP3? | 2 | |
6 | DAMIAN LILLARD, G, PORTLAND: Mr. Lillard, I have a man crush on you. I feel like I spent every night over the past week jumping off the sofa every time you launched one of your backbreaking 3s from Siberia, and there ain’t all that many things that make me jump off the sofa at the advanced age of 48. So you get the Casey Kasem treatment, breaking in with a bullet at No. 6. And I’ll go so far as to predict that this guy right here will be the winner of the 3-point shootout at All-Star weekend. | – | |
7 | STEPHEN CURRY, G, GOLDEN STATE: When do you forgive a guy for a 9-point, six-turnover effort? When his team has won six in a row, that’s when. Wouldn’t it be nice if the Warriors and Blazers were always on at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again … West Coast NBA fans have it make over their East Coast counterparts. Life sure ain’t fair. It is good that the ‘Dubs are on my side of the country this week. | 7 | |
8 | TONY PARKER, G, SAN ANTONIO: Every week, I drop him one spot. Not to belabor the point, but yes, life ain’t fair. And if Parker drops below the 50 percent mark from the field (he begins the new year at .502), there will be a spot for him at No. 9 when the next edition of these rankings are posted a week from today. Parker has spoiled us by being above 50 percent for so long. Not an easy thing for a guard to do, but Parker has set the bar high for himself. | 6 | |
9 | KEVIN LOVE, F, MINNESOTA: If it is of any solace, Kevin, you should know that it absolutely kills Rod Thorn to put out those press releases like the one he issued after you were clearly fouled by Shawn Marion the other night and Ed Malloy and his cohorts swallowed their whistles. We still have faith that you and the Wolves will be playing in the postseason, but if it comes down to a tiebreaker for the No. 8 seed and Minnesota winds up with the short end of the stick, that non-call is going to be a tough thing to stomach for an entire summer. | 8 | |
10 | ERIC BLEDSOE, G, PHOENIX: There is no reason for this fellow to be dumped from the Top 10, no matter how strong the urge is to elevate David Lee into these rankings. The ‘Dubs still trail the Suns in the Pacific Division, and holding down the No. 1 spot in our Most Improved Rankings is insufficient exposure for a player who is showing everyone why he was drooled over back in the day when he was Chris Paul’s backup. If Portland ever falters, this guy may be the reason why Jeff Hornacek wins Coach of the Year. | 9 |
DROPPED OUT: Jamal Crawford (10).
PREVIOUS RANKINGS:
Dec. 25 Edition: LBJ and Wi Tu Lo
Dec. 18 Edition: Aldridge Moves to No. 1
Dec. 11 Edition: Still Limited Love for LeBron
Dec. 4 Edition: Paul George Back at No. 1
Nov. 27 Edition: Viva Tony Parker
Nov. 20 Edition: Durant takes over No. 1 spot.
NOV. 13 Edition: Paul George is No. 1.
MORE RANKINGS: Rookie | Most Improved | Sixth Man | Power Rankings
Chris Sheridan is publisher and editor-in-chief of SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter
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